Improvement in hay-spreaders



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETcE.

BENJAMIN F. TAFT, OF GROTON JUNCTION, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND DANIEL NEEDHAM, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAY-SPREADERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 88,822, dated April 13, 1869.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. TANT, of Groton Junction, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and Improved Hay-Tedder; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a frame, A, of wood or other suitable material, adjustable to wheels B B, to which other machinery is attachable, as and for the purposes hereinafter specified. These wheels serve the double purpose of propelling the combined machinery, and, at the same time, of moving the frame, with its attachments, over the eld or grass.

G G G are cog-wheels, to serve as gearing, to give to the cylinder a rotary motion. D and L are cams atthe ends or heads of the drum or cylinder. E is a revolving fork-bar holder. F is a stationary bar. Gis a revolving fork-bar. H is the cylinder or drum. I I are forks for turning and scattering the grass for drying. J J are fork-holders, and K K are tilting arms. These diiferent parts, fitted together, constitute the machine, as represented.

Figure 1 on the drawing shows a sectional view of the machine; Fig. 2, a rear view; Fig. 3, the hollow rim, in which the tilting arms opcrate; Fig. 4, the front and side views of the tilting arms; Fig. 5, the fork-holder, and Fig. 6 the fork.

The cylinder may be constructed with arms, as seen in the drawing, or without arms, and covered with wire-cloth, in which case the stationary arms would loe dispensed with, the heads made close and the drum solid, and the center-bar, instead of going through the whole cylinder, would only perforate its heads. v

Should wire-cloth be used, or solid cylinders or drums be substituted for those described in the drawing, this will render the stationary arms unnecessary.

Instead of the cog-wheels O O C, as described, an internal gearing and pinion may be used.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willl proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On the outside edge of the heads of the cylinder holes are to be made, of suitable size to admit the stationary bar E and revolving forkbars G G. To the ends of the revolving forkbars G G fasten the tilting arms K K.

The use of the stationary bars E F is to sustain the forks I I while passing the open spaces M Min the revolving fork-bar holder E. This holder, with the cams D and L, is circular, and so constructed as to `have both edges turned up in order to receive the tilting arms K K and hold 'them securely in the place where they project through the heads of the cylinder while operating.

On turning the cylinder tilting arm K comes in contact with cam L, forcing the revolving fork-bar holders-to make a quarter-revolution, which instantly throws forks I I out from the cylinder.

By keeping the cylinder in motion tilting arm K comes in contact with cam D, which gives to the revolving fork-bar holder a reverse quarter-turn, and thereby the forks are instantly thrown on the stationary arm E. By this instantaneous motion the new-mown grass is carried higher on the cylinder, before winding on it, than it would be by a swinging and pendulum motion, thereby leavingy the grass in a lighter and better condition for drying as hay.

The forks may be constructed with one or more coils for springs, and the ends nearest the coils, as at N in Fig. 6, should be bent in such manner that the same bolt which holds the fork-holders J J to the revolving fork-bar G may fasten the fork to the revolving forkbar.

The fork-holder, at the point where the coil of the fork iirst begins to work, is made smaller, in order to give it more chance to wind up bed fore it shall come in contact with the subA stance which supports the coil.

The fork-holders are hollowed out, to adapt them to the revolving fork-bar, where the two come in contact, thereby enabling the operator easily to remove :L broken fork by merely re- I I, as attached by the fork-holders J J, and moving the bolt which fastens the fork-holder the tilting arms K K, constructed and operatto the revolving arm. ing in the manner and for the purposes herein What I claim as my invention, and desirev described. to secure by Letters Patent, is

The cams D and L, the revolving` fork-ber Witnesses: holders E E, the stationary bars F F, or eqniv- GEO. R. CLARKE, alents, the revolving fork-bars G G, the forks DAVID ROBERTS.

BENJAMIN F. TAFT. 

